In May, all of the higher elevation backpacking routes are still covered in snow, but Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park can be hiked and backpacked early.    In past years we have run through Wildhorse Canyon from East Kelowna to Naramata, and we have also backpacked a two night loop route over the mountain.    In one year a solo backpack started at a trailhead off Lakeshore Drive.    The route was up to the Wild Horse Canyon Trail, through the canyon,  and down to Buchan Bay.    There is a marine campsite on the lake for a one-night stay.   The one way hike for the first day was 12 km (7.4 miles).

The campsite at Buchan Bay was perfect in spring.    It is a much busier spot in summer.   We have also camped at Commando Bay farther south, another great spot.   Fort his backpack, it was an out-and-back hike.    Much of the route was through a burned area, but there was still lots of vegetation in the canyon, wildflowers out, birds along the way and some scenic viewpoints to enjoy.   Rattlesnakes are abundant in this area and may be encountered when the weather warms up.

Some of the photos taken from this backpack are shared in a Google Photos album (link – Wild Horse Canyon Backpack), but also embedded in this post as a slideshow:

We returned to backpack a larger loop of Okanagan Mountain Park over 3 days, a post to be added in the future.